Maren Morris Says Dolly Parton Broke the 'Stupid Mold' for Women in Country Music

Maren Morris might be fearlessly blazing a trail for women in country music, but she had a good role model. The 28-year-old cites Dolly Parton as her own inspiration, as Morris fights against the confines she believes female artists are still held to.

"I don't know who has made these strictures, but it's like women in country music need to be super religious, they need to be super conservative, and never show their body," Morris reflected to Genius. "And I'm like, 'Are you giving me a run for my money right now?' Because Dolly's outfits back in the day were amazing. There's just such a stupid mold that we, even ourselves, are attempting to fit into, and it's just bullsh–."

This isn't the first time Morris has been outspoken about women loving themselves, and their bodies. Last June, Morrism posted a sweet photo on Instagram while wearing a revealing black shirt and short shorts, and then had to quickly shut down someone who criticized what Morris wore.

""Don't cry foul when your (sic) asked to perform sex acts by a male," one follower wrote. "Respect yourself and coverup!!"

Morris quickly defended her wardrobe choice with a tongue-in-cheek response.

"Um, I'm married to [Ryan Hurd] and he doesn't need to ask," Morris shot back.

Morris' husband, Ryan Hurd, also defended his wife by criticizing the remark as well.

"I don't usually respond because Maren can handle herself, but I had a whole response to this based on the fact that usually only dudes leave that s— on here but you're a woman! Wow!" he wrote. "Maybe even a mom, I didn't check, but I would hope no one ever said something like that to you or maybe your poor, poor daughter, who will probably grow up in a house that tells her that her own body is a bad thing."

"Maren isn't naked," Hurd concluded. "Leave my wife alone and go back in the hole you crawled out of."

Morris released the powerful video for her current single, "GIRL," to give a voice to women who perhaps felt that they had been silenced for too long.

"I feel like this video really emotionally represents those people that have felt disenfranchised," Morris told Nylon. "I hope that, when everyone sees it, they feel something and hit replay and watch it several times. Maybe it makes them look at the people around them differently and know that everyone's fighting an internal battle of their own."

Download "GIRL" on iTunes.

Photo Credit: Getty images/Mat Hayward